1/30/18
As part of my job, I am supposed to help with the lab close
outs in the dry valleys. Typically we take a helper and Linnah and Liz fought
really hard for it to be Crary supply since they are part of our team and
because they have been trained in chemical safety as well as being familiar
with science equipment. So in a super good stroke of luck, Liz was able to get
Elisha to be my partner for my share of the lab closeouts and Wyn would get to
go with Marci.
So in the morning, we donned our ECW and headed to the helo
pad for a morning flight across the sound to the dry valleys. It’s a roughly 50
minute flight in the helicopter. We got lucky and were in the small helo, which
meant that Elisha could sit up front with the pilot. We also got lucky b/c we
were with pilot John who is in his last season and who loves whales, so he is
happy to take people touring. He’s also known for flying a helo like a helo
should be flown, so you get the rush of the ups and downs and high speeds close
to the ground and all of that. On our way out to the valleys, he flew along the
channel the icebreaker had made and at several spots he brought the helicopter
down to within feet of the ground so that we could watch minke whales and orcas
up close. That was simply amazing! He then took us along the ice edge where we
chased little flocks of adelie penguins (“they lose their minds when they hear
a helicopter”, he said), and flew of resolute emperors (they aren’t scared of
helos). And along the way we saw more orcas swimming along the ice edge. And of
course there were seals and skuas about. He then took us really close to a huge
iceberg (150ft high) and then up over the pass from the Ferrar glacial valley
into the taylor valley. Since Elisha hadn’t seen blood falls (this bright red
part of the taylor glacier caused by bacteria), he flew us right up to it for a
close up look before dropping us off at lake bonney camp.
Since the weather was so nice, we decided to hike first and
then do our work in case the weather soured (it did a bit). We first hiked up
to this ridge area famous for ventifacts—rocks that have been carved into cool
shapes by the strong katabatic winds that can blow through the region. It’s a
cool place b/c the rocks have interesting holes and shapes and some are just
giant rocks carried in from glaciers of yore. We then hiked to the foot of a
glacier coming down from the Kukri Mountains and decided to try to climb the
peak just above us. Distances can be very deceptive in such huge open expanses
with nothing (like a tree or building) to give perspective. The summit looked
close, but it turned out not to be. We got really close to the top, reaching an
elevation of 4757ft, (having started at
223 ft above sea level), but we turned around in the end b/c we weren’t sure if
there would be a view to the other side anyways.
On the way down we took advantage of some icy snowfields to
slide down quickly, which was lots of fun. Though I also ripped my jeans on the
slide down. Back in the ventifact area we hiked to the foot of another glacier
and along the way we ran into a mummified seal. Sometimes seals (and penguins)
lose their way and end up miles up these dry valleys before they succumb to
exhaustion and the elements. B/c of the cold, dry air and lack of decomposing
life, they become frozen in time, nearly perfectly preserved. It’s crazy to
think of a seal making it all the way up these valleys through all the rocks,
considering how they are not very good at moving on land.
When we got back down, we cooked dinner in the jamesway and
then went to work in the lab. There were 3 other guys there disassembling the
solar setup, so it was fun to hang out with them at night. They had brought
lots of wine and whiskey which they shared with us. B/c they were going to be
hanging out until the wee hours of the morning, we set up a tent and slept
along the frozen shore of the lake.
1/31/18
In the morning we got a short helo ride from bonney to lake
hoare camp. Lake hoare is a larger and
more established camp and sits right up next to the huge Canada glacier. There
are 2 ASC employees (Beth and Robin) that live there and run the camp, so they
welcomed us to the camp and offered us breakfast. We went to work on cleaning
the labs until lunch. Beth made some yummy quesadillas, hummus, and tuna salad
as well as cinnamon rice krispy treats. They also had a well-stocked chocolate
drawer. After we were done with the labs, we hiked up alongside the Canada
glacier to a viewpoint of the icefalls of the glacier. We then followed the
established glacial trail for a bit that crosses the glacier (and eventually
ends up at Lake Fryxell).
We luckily had the same pilot for the way back, and the
little helicopter again. So we got another sweet ride. We saw lots of emperors,
many of the swimming, as well as adelies. And we saw 4 or 5 minke whales as
well as 30 or orcas. On several occasions he took us down, hovering just above
them to watch the orcas spy hop. One group of young orcas was playing around
and rolling and flicking their tales. John our pilot told us he’s seen the
orcas playing with chunks of ice like they were balls.
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